The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-03-30
farm 9otes.
THE FIRST WORK IN SPRING.

THE FIRST WORE IN SPRING.
If the horses have been idle, or
nearly so, during the Winter it will
be necessary to use caution IN be-
ginning severe work. Take plenty
of time, give frequent rests, and if
the collar chafes or sweats during a
hot day stop the horse, pull the col
lar back and give the horse time to
cool. A little care in this respect
will save many bad sores, which
may compel the owner to let the
horse lie idle during a great part Of
the Summer.
REPAIRING FENCES
The best laid fence in Fall will, in
our climate, be more or less warped
and shaken before Spring. While
the ground is soft from the lately
extracted frost it is much easier to
drive post holes, and if set now the
soil will be compacted around them,
so that by Fall they will be solid
enough to make a firm fence against
Winter. The crooked rail fences
should be laid straight, with post
and stakes, thus requiring less ma
terial, standing o firmly and
occupying no more land than a
fence must necessarily take.
EGGS BY WEIGHT.
There is so much difference in
size Of eggs that if sold by weight,
rs they should be, it would make
fully twice as much per dozen for
some as for others. One Of the
effects Of selling by weight would
be to keep eggs from ever falling to
the low prices which they some
times reach in late Spring or early
Summer. An average dozen of eggs
will weigh Il pound and Il half, and
when they fall to one cent each
egg, as they generally do sometime
in Spring, they are as cheap and
good food as can be got for that
money.
AMMONIA IN HORSE STABLES.
As warn weather approaches the
smell of ammonia in horse stables
will be plainly perceived, and some
means should be adopted to absorb
or check. The smell shows that a
valuable fertilizer is escaping, and
the ammonia is also very injurious
to the sight of horses exposed to it.
More horses 60 blind from this
than from any other. The urine Of
horses contains more ammonia than
that of any other domestic animal.
German potash salts are an excel
lent absorbent to sprinkle in horse
stables and manure heaps.
sULKY PLOwa
The sulky or riding pillow, on which
the plowman is carried around the
field while the work is done, revolu-
tionizes all the old ideas about plow-
ing. 1t used to be that such plows
were necessarily of heavier draught
and on billy land probably they are.
But with tolerably level surface a
riding pillow is really easier draught
than one of the old-fashioned sort
as it's weight is sustained and drawn
ON wheels. Many who use it claim
that the wheel plow is enough light
er draught to compensate for the
weight of the driver Or plowman.
Still we do not often sec sulky plows
drawn by two horses, o is it good
economy to work with less than three
good horses on any kind Of plow.
BREAST COLLAR HARNESS..
The breast collar, sometimes called
the Dutch collar, is one having a
broad band connected with the
traces, and supported only by a
light belt over the neck. 1t is not
so easy for a horse to draw heavy
loads in this, because less awkward
and cumbersome than the heavy
neck collar. 1t is we'll to have one
or two Of these breast collars with
extra heavy tugs attached for use
when horses necks have been CALLED
by heavy work blowing or dragging
with the other kind of collar. Do
not use it, however, unless it is
broad enough On the breast so as
not to endanger the animal from
choking when pulling in it. Each
horse should have it's own collar,
and when fitted properly with pro-
per care in working him there will
be little danger that it will gall his
neck.